Take a quick look at the roster of winners one column over. Notice anything? Of course you do. Some of the industry's brightest stars and biggest names are well represented in this year's class of achievers. The individuals and companies we now publicly recognize speak loudly to the forward progress of the nutrition industry. That progress has taken nutrition in all of its manifold guises — from organic food to dietary supplements to functional ingredients — mainstream in a big way. But keep looking at the list. Something's missing, right? Where did all the product merit awards go?

Growth comes in many shapes and sizes, and the business community loves just about every one of them. There's sales growth. There's a rising stock price, a newsworthy merger or acquisition. These can be elusive measures of business success, but they tend to make eminent sense to executives held accountable to top- and bottom-line performance. We can also grow as a culture, however, protecting our future by protecting our employees and our planet. This is where awards for sustainability, education, science, organic excellence and philanthropy shine the spotlight more broadly on key players instrumental in building the industry's reputation as a true steward of health.

Growth also means innovation. Growth in new products, advances in research, breakthrough technologies that change the game forever. Innovation is the way industry collectively extends itself beyond the comforts of business as usual. NBJ chose to not grant product merit awards this year for a reason, and the reason is this: The nutrition industry is too fearful right now. We aren't taking enough risk. Despite many reasons to hunker down, cross our fingers and catch our breath, this is the exact time to innovate.

Regulatory scrutiny is here to stay, and frankly, we deserve it. Our impact on public health is meaningful and worthy of a very close look with a very fine comb. The fickle business cycle remains, too, and always will. Given the heady challenges of the current business landscape, NBJ certainly understands the prolonged and lingering downturn in new product development, but we just can't accept it.

So consider this year's awards issue as not only our opportunity to honor those individuals and organizations responsible for our forward progress, but also as a call to arms. Let's make sure the awards issue in 2012 has nothing but product merit awards. Dozens of them. Let's stop focusing on the barriers to innovation, and start innovating.

2010 NBJ Award Winners

Growth, Large Company
NBTY

Growth, Mid-Size Company
Aker BioMarine

Growth, Small Company
Nutra Bridge

Management Achievement
Pierre Fitzgibbon, Atrium Innovations

Investment in the Future
Standard Process
Stratum Nutrition

Scientific Achievement
Danisco
Tishcon

Organic Excellence
Maria Rodale, Rodale Inc.

Education
Ikhlas Khan, Ole Miss

Sustainability
Stonyfield Farm

Philanthropy
Alacer

Efforts on Behalf of the Industry
Roy Upton, American Herbal
Pharmacopoeia

Top 10 Deals of the Year
Carlyle Group / NBTY
BASF / Cognis
KeHE / Tree of Life
ConAgra / Elan Nutrition
Metagenics / Bariatric Advantage
Trygg Pharma / EPAX
Martek / Amerifit Brands
DNP / Thorne Research
Diamond Foods / Kettle Foods
TPG Growth / 25% of Schiff Nutrition
(Footnote: GNC IPO, round three)

Stock Performance
Medifast
Whole Foods Market

Lifetime Achievement
Announced at 2011 NBJ Summit